MOTOGP » Gresini confirms Elias, factory Honda

"My feeling is that a factory Honda with Elias riding wont do too much..."

Just because they hire a rider, doesn't mean they want him to win. I know that sounds silly, but in motor sport there is often more than one agenda.

Dani Pedrosa is HRC's 'designated winner'. Toni has a lot of MotoGP experience, history at Gresini, and is competitive when dialed in. Elias represents a good development rider, a good support rider, and a rider capable of bolstering the manufacturer points tally.

It's actually a good choice. Strategically, manufacturers/teams often dont want more than one rider capable of winning consistently, as it can lead to them taking points off each other too often.

ohh nooo, now that the marvelous Hayden is out of Honda, there are only tiny people there!! Pedro-Hobbit, Elias-Hobbit.... nahh and Elias should trim his eye brows, there are far to bushy!!!

like your tash, gina.

if elias gets the factory 2009 rc212v, does that mean that he is getting the pneumatic engine?, because as i understand it, the factory 2009s for repsol honda are pneumatic-engined and not the valve-spring. may someone clear this up.

if elias goes to gresini and checa had already signed with some wsbk team than who is coming to Aspar Kawasaki ?????

personally i think its not fair to de angelis, de puniet and takahashi.
those satellite machine sucks

Elias gets the pneumatic valve bike, like Pedrosa and Dovi,
de Angelis, de Puniet and Takahashi get the bike Nakano is developing now, with spring actuated valves.

Elias reminds me of biaggi...

with the right package, he's championship material, but everything needs to be working at 100% around him, for him to perform.

Give him a problem, and he tilts, he loses all sense of concentration and becomes a mid pack to tail end rider..

Very fast on his day, great talent and shows potential in stages, then you forget about him, till he rolls up with another podium..

I think, one more year, factory honda, possibly bridgestone tyres...if he performs like this season, out the door sunshine..

Good luck to him tho, when he's up there mixing it, he makes it pretty exciting..

I don't know why Pedrosa would find himself feeling pressured at the prospect of being beaten by Hayden, Elias or Dovizioso at this point in time.

He's already demostrated that he's got Hayden and Elias both covered, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

As far as Dovi goes, I'd say the jury's still out. For sure, he's shown some promise, and I'm actually a big fan, but we haven't seen him on the full factory bike yet, so I don't know if anyone is concerned about being beaten by him until he starts getting some wins.

I just hope Elias doesn't turn stupid again and start banging into people all over the place, like back in 06-07.

I think that if you look at this its realy Gresini that is getting the factory bike. Honda want a third develoment machine out there and they want Gresini to run it. And what other team would you give one to. If De angelis had got it, there would be just as many people asking why (me included). Its hard not to like Toni but to be honest if you'd have read 5 months ago that he would be on a factory Honda next year - I mean you would have laughed.
Anyway - good luck to him - hope he goes well.

To be honest, I somehow I try to care but not about Elias much. He seems a nice guy who smiles a lot but he is a party crasher and his riding style is really annoying to watch. He thinks he owns a track and his is everywhere. It is like dancing in a club and you do not care if you elbow people the way you dance, trash. Also, he spoiled Rossi's 06 chance of winning a champion.